New York Giants: Reggie Nelson the perfect fit
By John Laird
The New York Giants have been as active as anyone in the free agent market. Signing players like Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, and Janoris Jenkins finally gives the Giants the talent they desperately needed on the defensive side of the ball. They still do have one gaping hole to fill on that defense. That’s where Reggie Nelson comes in.
The Giants have been able to put together some decent talent in the secondary the last few years, signing players like Jenkins from the Rams and drafting Landon Collins from Alabama. They still do have one position of need and that is at safety.
Reggie Nelson may be older in age (32) but he still brings a lot to the table. Safety is a position where players tend to have pretty long careers. Charles Woodson and Ed Reed are two safeties who were able to play at a high level at an older age, just to name a couple.
Nelson showed no signs of slowing down last year in Cincinnati. He picked off 8 passes and deflected 14 more. Those numbers were as good as any safety in the league.
Not to mention the nine-year pro only missed a total of six games in his career. Nelson comes off as an extremely reliable stop gap player to throw in there until you find someone younger in the next year or two.
The former Florida Gator would fit in almost perfectly with the Big Blue. His presence would allow second year pro Landon Collins to slide in the box. Somewhere he can play more to his natural ability, too many times you saw Collins getting burned down the field in 2015. Allowing Collins to play as a true strong safety would justify the Giants trading up to ‘snag’ him.
Nelson would also help take the pressure off of Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Both players play with no fear. Which could be good or bad. Meaning, that it’s either their making a great play or allowing an ugly touchdown.
With Reggie Nelson covering over the top, it should allow the two corners to continue their play style, because they have some great insurance with Nelson.
In a division where you play Zach Ertz, Jason Witten, and Jordan Reed you need a safety who can come in and blanket those high caliber players. Having that player who can cover the other team’s big target allows you to blitz more. Sending extra players to go after the passer behind Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, Johnathan Hankins and Jason Pierre-Paul could be deadly.
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New York has put a lot of effort into it’s defense this off-season. Their tired of giving up leads in the fourth quarter. Bringing talent on board helps with that, but signing a seasoned veteran or two would be the best way to combat that.
You already have a bunch of young talent on that defense, bring in someone who is from a consistent winning team who knows how to put a game away on defense. The signing of Nelson would make this a complete off-season for the Giants.